Lower limbs in kneeling position

2016

Leonardo analyzed the lower limbs for their power, in view of their possible propulsive energy for operating his machines. The two wax models in the display case represent the lower right limb in kneeling position, that is, with the knee and the tip of the foot resting on the ground. Just as in Leonardo’s drawing, which you can view on the longest wall of the room, the two sculptures highlight two different levels of dissection: one shows the conformation of the surface musculature, while the other depicts the bones and deeper connections between muscles.

Leonardo was interested in the muscles that produce flexions: of the leg, on the thigh; of the foot, on the leg; and of the tip of the foot, on the metatarsal section. In particular, he analyzed the rotary action of the sartorius, an elongated, ribbon-like muscle that joins the hip bone to the upper end of the tibia. In order to represent the muscles, often the artist made use of a particular artifice: these transform into taut cords stretched between one bone intersection and another, thus explaining the application of the lines of force during contraction.